Tag: keyword-research

Things we learned from Google AI search – Change for advertisers

Google’s new AI search might mean a big change in the way advertisers and Ad agencies work with search.

Recently in the UK, we have seen the introduction of Google AI search. Whilst many in the digital space may have already moved on from the normal Google Search query and use tools like Claude or Perplexity instead, one of the ways to get the masses across to AI is surely for it to be incorporated into AI search.

It is therefore important we understand Google AI search, and what its introduction will mean for the way consumers search.

Recently speaking on the Modern Wisdom YouTube channel, Rory Sutherland, Vice Chairman of Ogilvy Advertising spoke about how search is changing. He made the point that historically, businesses have needed ads agencies to attract consumers, but now with AI, we might see consumers using AI as essentially an ads agency, to find their business.

This is an interesting point made at an interesting time, as it ties in completely with some of the initial findings from some basic Google AI search prompts.

What we learned from Google’s AI search

When looking at service-led businesses in large cities, such as a physiotherapist in London, we saw Google giving tips on which sort of business to choose. At the bottom of the search result, there were suggestions identifying the following things as good indicators of what made the ‘best physiotherapy practice in London.’

Does this give away some of the key considerations Google look at when deciding what search results to show you for ‘best physiotherapist London’?

It certainly looks that way, and whilst the digital world knows largely the EEAT signals and how to show Google you are trustworthy, some of the considerations above are interesting, and shows Google’s workings almost saying to the consumer, these are the things we value and you should too.

Considerations in search

See below another example for opticians, similarly, considerations of what to look out for when choosing your service led business are again listed.

Interestingly here, Google AI search gives the added breakdown of benefits for choosing an independent Opticians, or a chain, considering price and how personalised the experience is.

This is very important as it highlights if you are an independent local Optician, you need to draw into what makes your business unique so that you can stand out from competition and identify to Google you are a good choice for those searching for independent Opticians.

Recommending how you should proceed

Within the search for an Optician, there was also some direction from Google on how you should proceed:

See at the bottom of the above image “It is recommended to schedule a consultation for a few practices.”

Here Google show that they do not believe one best practice is the best for everyone, which may indicate why there is a wide range of variation of local service business search. Google works hard to tailor your needs the best, then recommends contacting a few of its suggestions to find the best fit.

If you are in one of these businesses, trying to get customers, this is where you front-of-house approach is really key. Being the first to answer the phone or contact a customer is so important and also addressing their needs quickly and effectively will be sure to capture that lead.

5th Aug 2025
Google Ads search term research

Testing over 400,000 search terms to establish key trends in what drives conversions, high CTR and clicks in Google Ads.

Taking data from the last six months from Google Ads search campaigns that aim to drive phone calls and form fills from a landing page for a service led industry.

These search terms come from over 75 campaigns, spending small individual daily budgets to promote local services to individual locations. A lot of the data analysed made a lot of sense but still made for interesting reading.

Highest converting keywords

The top 50 converting keywords all contained the exact service name within them, usually followed by a location term. EG service:London.

Of the top 50 converting keywords, 48 were from exact or phrase match keyword types. General consensus from looking at all of these search terms were that broad match were the least valuable.

Note: We straight away could identify from this data that broad match keyword types were good for getting ads out there and keyword suggestions in, but they become redundant very quickly and for small budget, service campaigns, exact and phrase match brings in the conversion data.

Eight of the top ten performing keywords for conversions were exact match.

Highest CVR search terms

Just looking at top ten highest performing CVR, of those search terms that got any conversions, six included location terms, two of ten were actual rival brand search terms.

If no Google Ads are running for those rival brands, you could argue adding those search terms into your keyword list could have benefit, but with small daily budgets, its hard to commit to effectively bidding on customers that may already have interest in your rival brand and may just be searching for them.

Highest impressions

Highest impressions are not always a good measure of a search terms effectiveness. So tread with caution. One thing to note, 48 of the top 50 highest impression search terms contained the service name, in fact 95% of the top 100 search terms that had conversion data contained the service name, emphasising the importance of service inclusion within all keywords.

Excluded search terms

Many of the search terms analysed had been excluded at a campaign level. Of these keywords, eight of the top ten were broad match, so the opposite of the high conversion search terms. Some of the excluded terms did have very high conversion numbers, but the low quality broad search terms would have undoubtedly led to low quality leads further down the funnel.

Five of the top ten excluded search terms included free services, for example ‘private doctor’ ad groups receiving search terms like ‘nhs doctor’

This was probably more emphasis of some campaigns being in their infancy and not already having these search terms excluded.

Google Ad search term tips:

Overall, the key to success for these service lead search campaigns were including the service within the keyword at all costs. For example “chemist near me” “chemist with GP”, “New chemist open” etc.

Broad match keywords are not effective for high quality conversions. They can be important for building out a campaign and finding keywords if you are stuck for ideas in max clicks.

They should go no further than the first or second round of optimisation and should not feature when moving to max conversions.

3rd Aug 2025
Creating digital content in 2025
Creating digital content requires the combination of many things. The primary factor should always be keeping your user in mind. Below you can find some simple tips to help you create engaging, high quality digital content.

Simple guide to creating good digital content

1. Keyword Research:
- Identify relevant keywords related to your content using tools like Google Keyword Planner, SEMrush, or Ahrefs.
- Choose a primary keyword and a few secondary keywords for each piece of content.
2. Understand User Intent:
- Determine the user’s intent behind the search query that will get them to your digital content. Is the user looking for information, a product, a solution to a problem, or something else?
3. Content Structure:
- Organise your content into a clear and logical structure. Use headings (H1, H2, H3) to break down the content into sections.
- Incorporate bullet points, numbered lists, and other formatting to enhance readability.
4. Quality Content:
- Create high-quality, valuable, and engaging content. Google rewards content that provides a positive user experience.
- Address the user’s query comprehensively and include relevant details.
- Find a full guide on creating high quality content here.
5. Mobile Optimisation:
- Ensure that your content is mobile-friendly. Google prioritises mobile-friendly websites in its search rankings.
- Test your content on various devices to ensure a seamless user experience.
6. Social Media Integration:
- Share your content on social media platforms to increase visibility and drive traffic.
- Encourage social sharing by including social media buttons on your website.
7. Regular Updates:
- Keep your content up-to-date. Search engines prefer fresh and relevant content.
- Update and republish older content to reflect any changes or new information.
8. User Engagement:
- Encourage user engagement through comments, social shares, and other interactive features.
- Respond to comments and engage with your audience to build a community around your content.
By following these steps, you’ll be able to create digital content that not only appeals to search engines but also provides value to your audience. Remember that the key is to strike a balance between optimisation and user experience.
24th Jul 2025